[ti:South Korea Worried About High Cost of Olympics] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.16]Officials in South Korea are concerned about what will happen [00:05.68]to Pyeongchang Winter Olympic structures [00:09.38]and stadiums after the games next year. [00:14.36]The Winter Olympics begin on February 9, 2018. [00:20.56]Officials are busy preparing for events [00:24.60]in and around the small mountain town of Pyeongchang. [00:30.04]But concerns remain about the huge cost of [00:34.76]hosting the Games in one of South Korea's poorest areas. [00:41.12]Local officials hope the Olympics will help economic development [00:47.16]by making the area as an international destination for travelers. [00:54.80]But, past Olympics have shown that hosts who hoped [00:59.84]for economic gains after the games are often disappointed. [01:06.92]Pyeongchang is in Gangwon province. [01:10.20]So is nearby Gangneung, [01:12.92]a seaside city that will host Olympic skating and hockey events. [01:19.92]Officials there are urging the national government to provide money [01:25.46]to maintain the new arenas that may have little use after the Olympics. [01:33.96]So far, the South Korean government has not agreed to such a plan. [01:41.20]The Olympics are expected to cost South Korea about $12.9 billion. [01:50.40]That amount is more than the $7 to 8 billion that was estimated [01:57.68]when Pyeongchang was announced as host in 2011. [02:03.20]People who live in Gangwon province [02:06.12]say the government has long ignored the area's needs. [02:11.08]They also worry about the event's high cost. [02:15.80]"What good will a nicely managed global event really do for residents [02:23.04]when we are struggling so much to make ends meet?" [02:27.92]said Lee Do-sung, a Gangneung restaurant owner. [02:32.44]"What will the games even leave? Maybe only debt." [02:38.32]The mood was very different 30 years ago when the country [02:42.99]was preparing to host the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games. [02:49.76]That event helped shape the capital city into what it is today. [02:57.24]A sports complex and huge public parks were built along the Han River. [03:04.08]Next came new highways, bridges and public transportation. [03:10.32]High-rise buildings were built where old, poor neighborhoods once stood. [03:17.16]The effects of the country's second Olympic Games will be less clear. [03:23.60]For example, Pyeongchang's Olympic Stadium [03:27.64]seats 35,000 people although just 40,000 people live in the town. [03:37.28]The stadium will only be used for the opening [03:40.96]and closing ceremonies of the Olympics and Paralympics. [03:47.80]Then, workers are expected to tear it down. [03:53.04]A downhill ski course in nearby Jeongseon will also be restored [03:58.76]to its natural state and no longer used for skiing. [04:04.48]The course was built in a huge forest considered sacred by local people. [04:11.84]Gangwon officials want the national government [04:15.24]to help pay for restoring the forest. [04:19.56]Such efforts could cost as much as $95 million. [04:26.00]Both the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup [04:34.08]were events paid for by the national government. [04:38.20]The provincial government, however, led the effort [04:42.04]to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. [04:47.48]Under current plans, Gangwon will manage [04:51.36]at least six Olympic sites after the games. [04:56.76]The costs to do so will be high. [05:00.76]These sites will create an $8.5 million budget [05:06.00]deficit for the area every year. [05:10.68]Hong Jin-won is a Gangneung resident and activist. [05:16.12]He has been following Olympic preparations for several years. [05:22.00]He said the real cost could be even bigger. [05:26.40]And he said aid to help the area's poor [05:31.08]could get cut to help make up for the lack of money. [05:37.16]South Korea is a rapidly aging country [05:41.24]with a widening rich-poor gap. [05:45.32]The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) [05:51.12]says South Korea has the highest poverty rate [05:55.60]among the aged of all OECD countries. [06:01.56]The sites may need to be torn down [06:05.20]if the national government does not pay to maintain them, [06:09.24]or if Gangwon does not make them cultural or popular attractions. [06:16.28]Park Cheol-sin is an official in Gangwon. [06:21.00]He said the national government must step up because, in his words, [06:27.88]the "Olympics are a national event, not a Gangwon event." [06:34.84]I'm Dorothy Gundy. [06:36.61]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM